Call of Duty Modern Warfare Review

Call of Duty Modern Warfare absolutely changed the world when it was released. Though there have been quite a few titles in the series released since then, none have quite hit that world-changing height of the originator. Infinity Ward has gone back to the well with the new iteration of Modern Warfare, a game that falls a little short of meeting its predecessors soaring heights.

Concept - 4

As you might be able to tell by the title, Modern Warfare is a Call of Duty game that makes a very strong attempt to get back to the setting that was so successful in the fourth entry in the series. After years of going back to the past or into increasingly fantastic settings, this is very much a game that's grounded in the here and the now.

While a small portion of the game places players in the shoes of a new time of operators, much of the game really is focused on multiplayer matches. You're going to see some old favorites here as well as some new ideas, not all of which work out perfectly. Still, this is very much a game that's trying to do something special for its core audience.

Graphics and Audio - 4

Call of Duty has always been a particularly pretty series, with a lot of focus put on not only the setting but also on lovingly rendering every weapon in the game. This game absolutely continues that legacy, pushing the ageing hardware of the current console generation about as far as it can go. While you're not going to get the same kind of jaw-dropping experience you'd get from other games here, you still get some nice visuals.

The audio quality of Modern Warfare is excellent, though. Every shot and explosion feels real and the voice actors all do a great job with the lines they are given. There's definitely a tendency to feel like you're getting a little more of the same if you're very familiar with the series, but even the repetition works well. This game is a throwback in a lot of ways, and the familiar sounds help.

Game Play - 4

Call of Duty has always been very much two different games at once. The first of those games, the single-player campaign, feels a lot like the original Modern Warfare in the best ways. It's not necessarily covering a lot of the same ground, but there are some excellent writing and some truly emotional moments. The single-player campaign absolutely feels like a marquee game.

Multiplayer, though, is a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the new modes like the 2v2 Gunfight are stellar additions to an ageing format. Others, like the killstreak-laden, chaotic standard multiplayer mode feel like they belong in a world that most shooters have long since passed by. There's nothing truly bad here, but multiplayer just isn't as robust as some might like.

In Conclusion (Replayability - 4)

Call of Duty Modern Warfare is a fantastic successor to the original, though it's nowhere near as groundbreaking as that title. Infinity Ward gets an awful lot right here, but sticking to some of the old playbooks holds back the series. This is an absolute must-play for fans of the series and a good entry for new players - it's just a game that's going to be very easy to lose in a crowd of better shooters.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare is a more modern, more realistic spin on the Call of Duty formula that incorporates new narrative techniques alongside dated multiplayer mayhem.